Method of producing a stocking



Dec. 26,1939. J. K. COBERT 4,937

METHOD OF PRODIjCING A STOCKING Filed Dec. 18, 19s! A TTORNE'Y Patented Dec. 26, 1939 UNITED STATES atom PATENT oF-FiCE memo or monucmo A s'rocma Joseph 1:. Cohort, some, Quebec, cum Application December 18, 1931, Serial No. 180,561

' (or. M) I This invention relates to stockings and a method of manufacturing. the same.

Up to comparatively recent years, the manufacture of full fashioned silk hosiery necessitated 5 two major operative steps requiring two separate and distinct knitting machines of different type. The leg portion of the stocking including the heel was made on one machine known in the art as a legger. The foot portion was made in another machine known as a footer. Obvious disadvantages in this method of manufacture have long been recognized. The use of two sep-e 'arate complicated and expensive machines required a large amount of space in addition to the expense involved. Moreover, as is well known, the loop formation in knitting varies greatly with different machines. One machine may make a loop slightly longer or of a slightly different configuration than another machine. Thus, when a foot portion is joined to the leg portion of a stocking, each of which is knit on a different machine, the varying loop formation shows up clearly at the joining line and adversely affects the stocking appearance.

Machines have recently come into use whichpart out of the question. Many attempts have been made to provide means for converting suchmachines into ones capable of producing a stocking in one operation. Up to the present time, such attempts have resulted in complicated expensive, and impractical arrangements of little commercial value.

The formation of l the heel portion of the stock ing has been the diflicult step in the production of hosiery on flat knitting machines since it has without substantial alteration thereto and with.-

out transfer of the blank at any time to another machine.

An important feature of theinvention is the .formation, in a separate operation, of the heel blanks, the individual heel blanks being joined to the main stocking blank when the leg portion thereof is completed and before theformation of .the foot portion. This separate production of the heel blanks and their insertion in the main blank at the point mentioned enables the formation of a complete stocking blank on one machine without transfer from one machine to another. The invention will be described withreference to the accompanying drawing, which illustrates the various stepsin the production of a stocking according to the invention and in which Figure'i is a view of a stocking blank representing the first step,

Figure 2 is a view of the stocking blank representing the second step,

Figure 3 is a view of the stocking blank representing the third step,

Figure 4 is a view of the stocking blank representing the fourth step and Figure 5 is a view of the completed stocking.

The leg portion I of the stocking, as shown in Figure 1, is knit on a "legger" machine Of usual type and includes the ornamental and reinforced high heelportions 2. This step in the operation is continued to the high heel, splicing-line 3.

At this point, heel blanks 4 are transferred by topping onto the stocking blank, the line of juncture being the high heel splicing lines 3. It will be noted that the heel blank, when positioned on the leg portion, has an-outwardly extending tab portion 5. ,An inner handling tabt and an outer handling tab 1 are provided on the heel blank, the tabs being defined byt-he loose knitted courses 8' and 'I', which of course also define the end edges'of-the heel blank proper. w

The small heel blanks 4 may be made on a Hooter machine. It will be'apparent that several of these heel blanks may be made at one time and that a multipiicity may be produced in a very short time on a single machine. The size and shape of the blank will of course vary with the size ofstocking-to bemade. I

At this point, the carrier on the lesser. machine producing the stocking is widened to the Points 8 or the desired foot width which will correspond with the outer edge of the heel blank proper, defined by course "I. The knitting is then continued to form the foot portion 9 which is shaped in the usual manner, as shown in Figure 3, and provided with the usual reinforced sole portions Ill.

The heel of the stocking is now formed, the leg portion being topped onto the needles of a looping machinealong a line H which, as shown in Figure 3, is of the same length and closely adjacent to the line of juncture between the heel blank and leg portion. The heel blank is then severed from the leg portion along a line between the 5 topping line and junct ure line,- as indicated at l2. The topping line I l is normally about two courses below the juncture line or just sufllcient to permit'a convenient severing operation between the two lines. The heel blank, which is still joined to the foot portion 9, is then swung around to the position shown in Figure 4 with its left hand endedge, as defined by loose course '6',

in registry with the topping line I I of the leg portion on the looping machine. This: left hand edge of the heel blank is then also topped onto the needles of the looping machine, the handling tab 6 removed, and the registered edges looped together. It will be obvious that the width of the -heel blank should be substantially equal to the line of juncture between it and the leg portion whereby its end edge will also register as to length with the topping line H'. The other half of the heel portion is then formed by topping the leg-portion onto the looping machine along the line H and proceeding as above outlined.

The stocking is then completed, as illustrated in Figure 5, by folding and forming a seam along a the meeting edges, the tab portions 1 on the heel blanks being of course removed. It will be observed that, but for the looped line l2, the'stocking is exactly similar to those heel splicing edges of said leg portion, knitting a foot portion directly onto said leg portion, severing the connected edges of the heel blanks from the leg portion and looping other edges of'the heel blanks to thehigh heel splicing edges of j the leg portion to form a complete stocking blank. 2. Method of .producing hosiery comprising knitting the leg portion of a stocking blank on one machinekriitting individual heel blanks on another machine, joining said heel blanks along one edge to the high heel splicing edges of said leg portion, continuing the knitting of a footportion directlyonto said leg portion on'said first machine, topping said high heel splicing edges onto the needles of a looping machine, severing the connected edges of said heel'blanks from the high heel splicing edges and looping other edges of said heel blanks to the high heelsplicingedges to form a complete stocking blank. 3. Method of producing hosiery comp i oining heel blanks along one edge to the high knitting a leg blank on a knitting machine, transthe heel blanks to the .high heel ferring previously knitted heel blanks to said mashine for interknitted connection along one edge of each heel blank with said leg blank, continuing the knitting of afoot blank directly onto said .leg blank on said machine, severing theleg 5 blank from the heel blanks and connecting'the heel blanks along other edges to the leg blank.

4. Methodof producing hosiery comprising knitting a leg blank on a knitting machine, transferring previously knitted heel blanks to said machine for interknitted connection with said leg blank, continuing the knitting of a foot blank directly onto said leg blank on said machine, and subsequently severing the knitted connection between the heel blanks and leg blank and looping splicing edges of the leg blank.

5. Method of producing a complete stocking blank as a unit comprising interknitting previously knitted heel blanks along one edge of each heel blank to a leg and foot' blank along the line of juncture between the leg and foot portions thereof and during the knitting of the latter, and subsequently severing the connected edges of the heel blanks from the leg portion and connecting another. edge of each heel blank to the leg portion.

6. Method of producing a complete stocking blank as a unit comprising interknitting previously knitted heel blanks along one edge of each heel blank to a leg and foot blank along the high heel splicing line thereof and during the knitting of the leg and foot blank, and subsequently severing the connected edges of the heel blanks from the leg portion of the leg and foot blank and looping other edges of the heel blanks to the high heel splicing edges of the leg portion.

7.-Method of producing a complete stocking blank as a unit comprising knitting the leg portion of the blank, interknitting the 'normal inner edges of previously knitted heel blanks with the end of the leg portion, knitting a foot portion as a continuation of the leg portion; and sub-- sequently severing the knitted connection .between the inner edges of the heel blanks and the leg portion and connecting the normal upper edges of the heel blanks to the leg portion.

8. Method 'of producing a complete. stocking blank as a unit comprising knitting on aknitting machine a leg portion of the blank down to the high heel splicing line thereof, transferring previously knitted heel blanks to said machine for interknitted connection along one edge of each heel blankwith the leg-portion along the high heel splicing line, knitting tl'e foot portion of the stocking blank as a continuation of the leg portion, topping the stocking blankalongthe high heel splicing line onto the needles 'ofa looping machine, severing the knitted connection between the heel blanks and high heel splicing line, topping the heel blanks onto the needles of the loopingmachine, and forming a looped connec: tion between other edges of the heel blanks and thehigh heel splicing edges of the stocking blank. f JOSEPH K. COBERT.- 

